I've been considering getting blood bowl for a while now and I'd like to join in with the RPS leagues, but am I too late to really get involved? I know the game isn't exactly new any more but from my experience playing ARMA 2 with RPS this is the place I'd like to start playing if I can. Would I be too far behind skill-wise?

I've been trying to find a demo of blood bowl to see if it's something I'd like, but I can't find anything, so my last experience of blood bowl was the tabletop game at least a decade ago now. Is there a demo anywhere or am I out of luck?

Don't worry about being behind skillwise some of these guys are terrible *ducks thrown frying pan*, but really its a learning experience with at times heart rending persistence*, I heartily suggest you give it a try, game owner can gift you the new one on steam for about £6.99, I suggest you go with that if you don't mind trading on steam.

*What you do matters later on, a star player dying to a foul because you tried a GFI on turn 15 doesn't get reset next match.

Short answer is GET IT NOW! Great game that can lead to elation and tears all in the space of 5 minutes!

thekev506

14-11-2012, 01:04 PM

Alright, I bit the bullet and got a copy on steam - downloading now :D

I used to play warhammer as a kid and had a pretty mean dwarf army. I see they're in BB but seeing as they're short and slow they're probably not much good for a newbie. Any recommendations for a starting team?

EDIT: my dwarven bias means playing as elves is a no-no :P

ChainsawHands

14-11-2012, 01:06 PM

Orcs are probably the best place to start: good starting skills (4 players with block), good strength for hitting, good armour for sticking around, not *too* slow but you'll still need to watch your positioning (and learn to cage), and they've got a thrower and AG3 players to throw to so you can even pass if it comes to that. Probably go with the first starting roster (http://bbtactics.com/tv1000-orc-starting-roster/) from bbtactics - 4 black orcs, 4 blitzers, thrower, 2 linemen, 3 rerolls.

sketchseven

14-11-2012, 01:10 PM

If you're brand new to BB you might want to consider playing through some of the Story mode in the Single Player. It's not fantastic but will at least introduce you to some of the concepts.

Given that you're just starting out, I'd recommend checking out www.bbtactics.com - Coach on there has solid advice for BB - and some starting rosters to get you in-game and punching other people (and chasing the ball if you like) as soon as possible.

Last plug; check out the RPS Challenge League. It's a solid way to get some game time in and get used to online play (which is very different to playing against the AI.)

Everblue

14-11-2012, 01:27 PM

Orcs are great for beginners, as 'hands says. Dwarves are actually also a pretty decent starting team, for much the same reasons he mentions.

EDIT - And don't worry about being late to the party. I started playing multiplayer in I think June, and there are lots of us newbies around in the RPS league.

LowKey

14-11-2012, 01:54 PM

Aye dwarfs arnt too bad a choice with the surplus block but you need to be very careful with positioning, i personally found undead to be a good starter team

Heliocentric

14-11-2012, 03:50 PM

Undead have the dubious honour of leveling up slowly and being durable with the live fast die young of the ghouls to give a taste of 'the other side of the coin'.

Mummies are easily the best murderers in the game too.

thekev506

14-11-2012, 11:08 PM

Thanks everyone for replying, really helps. Had some hands-on time with the game playing against the ai - hell of a learning curve! Think I'm going to spend some time learning the ropes and then look to join the RPS leagues ASAP

NieA7

14-11-2012, 11:20 PM

I'll second Undead, Orcs and Dorfs being good starting teams, but if you really want to throw yourself into the deep end I'd suggest Humans too. They're not an especially strong side and they can't do anything really well, but unlike most teams they really can do a bit of everything (except maybe win on a regular basis).

Try the competition mode single player after the story mode, it's the best way to learn the ropes of skilling up a team. Also, the G key is your friend - pressing it will cycle through displaying players movement and tackle zone coverage.

Dentharial

15-11-2012, 08:04 AM

Others have been offering good advice which you should definitely follow, but I'd also encourage you to hop into the Divisions of Death as soon as possible. The next season is due to start in around 2-4 weeks, and each season only consists of 3 matches played over about a month.

As such, even if you discover you hate the team you signed up with, you can very quickly change your mind and restart in the next season, and it'll give you some good practice playing against real people.

As a story from my personal experience, I loved played Wood Elves in single player, decided to go with the slightly more beginner-friendly High Elves in the Divisions of Death, and 2 or 3 seasons in I rebooted as Orcs. Multiplayer is just such a different beast to singleplayer that I'd really push getting involved asap to feel it out.

Gorm

15-11-2012, 08:58 AM

Dwarfs are far too boring. Undead, Humans or Orcs are good options for starting though.

thekev506

15-11-2012, 09:37 PM

Alright, after a day of reading up on tactics and game mechanics, winning a few games against the CPU and generally getting the hang of things, I think I'm going to sign up for the next divisions of death. Thanks again everyone for your advice, literally wouldn't be here without you ;)

thekev506

15-11-2012, 09:37 PM

(by that I mean on this part of the forum, not 'either I play blood bowl or I die')

Dentharial

16-11-2012, 12:36 PM

(by that I mean on this part of the forum, not 'either I play blood bowl or I die')

You should probably re-read the small print on joining the Divisions of Death. Relegation from the lowest tier has some pretty final consequences.